Last week I wrote about the Consumer Action Handbook. This freely-available guide from the U.S. government is packed with useful information. I was leafing through the book again this morning before I put it away, and I noticed that the good stuff starts on page one with a list of thirteen quick consumer tips.

I've transcribed these tips below, quoting verbatim from various sections of the book (which is in the public domain), as well as adding my own experiences and advice.

A deal that sounds too good to be true usually is. Offers that often fall into this category are promises to fix your credit problems, low-interest credit cards, deals that let you skip credit card payments, business/job opportunities, risk-free investments, and free travel.

Extended warranties or service contracts are rarely worth what you pay for them. This has been documented repeatedly from many sources, including Consumer Reports, yet people still pay for them. They're not always a bad deal (I always take them out for laptop computers), but most of the time, you're better off self-insuring. Instead of paying for service contracts, put the money you would have spent into a separate savings account. When something goes wrong, pay for the repairs out of this fund. Here's how one Get Rich Slowly reader does it.

Say no to credit insurance offers. Often offered with credit cards, car loans, and home mortgages, it is almost always better to purchase regular property, life, or disability insurance.

There is no universal three-day cooling-off period. Don't be misled into thinking that you have an automatic three days to cancel a purchase. Only a few types of contracts give you a right to cancel. For example, when you buy something at a store and later change your mind, your ability to return the merchandise depends upon store policy. If you buy an item in your home, you might have three days to cancel.

Beware of payday and tax refund loans. Avoid the payday loan trap. If you are short of cash, avoid both of these loans by asking for more time to pay a bill or seeking a traditional loan. Even a cash advance on your credit card may cost less.

Not all plastic cards offer the same protections. Understand how your credit and debit cards work. When you sign up for an account, read the fine print. Your liability for the unauthorized use of a gift card or debit card may be much higher than the $50 maximum on your credit card.

Real estate agents represent the seller, not the buyer. When buying, consider hiring an agent or lawyer who represents you.

Home improvement and auto repairs are the subject of frequent complaints. Don't just go with the first company you speak with. Get multiple estimates. Ask friends and family for recommendations. From my own experience, I'd rather pay more for a company that I know does quality work instead of gamble on a cheap unknown.

Think twice before you rent-to-own. Interest rates on rent-to-own purchases can be very high. If you miss a payment, you could end up with nothing. Consider other options such as buying second-hand at a thrift shop or through ads in your local newspaper.

Don't buy under stress. Research suggests senior citizens, people in crisis (e.g., coping with a death or debt), college students, small business owners, minorities, and immigrants are especially at risk of being victimized. Avoid making big-ticket purchases during times of duress. This point cannot be emphasized enough. Salespeople will often attempt to create artificial stress because they know it makes you more likely to buy. That guy who knocks on your door offering to sell you the last frozen chicken in his truck at a discount? He's creating artificial pressure to get you to buy.

Be cautious of Buy Here, Pay Here lots. If you decide to buy a car from a used car lot, be sure to read all of the papers before you sign. Don't sign contracts that allow the dealership to change the finance rate after you leave the lot.

Work-at-home ads usually don't pay off. Be especially wary of ads that promise huge annual salaries; they often require expensive upfront fees with no guarantee. You risk losing your money and wasting a lot of time and energy.

Some of these probably seem obvious — others less so. It's all good advice, though. When I look at the list, I recognize several of these “commandments” that I've violated, particularly buying under stress. I've finally learned to just say “no” to anyone who wants me to make a decision now (especially if it's a transaction that I did not initiate), but it hasn't always been this way.

Seek recommendations from people you trust. Referrals increase the odds of finding a quality professional. There's rarely a need to flip blindly through the yellow pages (or google) to find a mortgage broker or a roofing contractor. Ask your friends, your family, your co-workers.

Read everything you sign. This is vital. Read all the policy changes that you get in the mail from banks, insurance agents, and credit card companies. At the very least, read the documents on your major purchases, especially cars and homes.

Don't invest in things you do not understand. If you don't understand the mortgage your broker offers, don't take it. If you don't understand buying stocks on margin, don't do it. If you don't understand that awesome new investment opportunity that your friend keeps pimping, then don't buy into it.

Can you think of other valuable consumer skills that should be added to this list?

In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money — and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals.

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There are 33 reader responses to "The 13 Commandments of Savvy Consumers".

Bevsays

Don’t automatically accept it when your health or dental insurance rejects a claim that you submit. Question and re-question them, ask to speak to their supervisor if you’re not satisfied with their answer

I know you all like to rag on extended warranties… But sometimes they are worth it! I bought a refurbished Xbox 360 with an extended warranty because my first one gave out and I had suspicions this one would do the same… The Xbox died 3 times, was replaced twice, and when they couldn’t fix it, they sent me a check (albeit not enough for a new one)… but I would have been out even more money if I hadn’t gotten that warranty…

I’d also add that you should wait one day to make any purchase over $100, or making any investment for the long term, so you can live with the decision and see how it feels before you actually pull the trigger.

…and if your state has mandated a 3-day cooling-off period for a particular sort of contract? There’s a reason for that, and it’s not that they’re a really nice company that only has your best interests at heart.

Real estate agents represent the seller, not the buyer.

I’d say that if you don’t have an agreement with an agent, the agent isn’t working for you. I’ve known sellers who’d moved to Washington from other states and are floored to discover that the agent calling for the buyer is working for the buyer — after they’d disclosed information to the buyer’s agent that they didn’t want to disclose to the buyer, such as being in a hurry to sell and willing to take less money. (Oops.) Just because all agents work for the seller where / when you grew up doesn’t mean that’s how it works where you live now.

And yes, even if you have a buyer’s agreement with a buyer’s agent or broker, the fact that the commission is usually based on the selling price may subconsciously or consciously sway the buyer’s agent. Be careful out there.

Something I’ve been telling myself lately is “Only buy things when the need arises and triggers you to go out and start researching things.” So often, a deal will “come up” or “be offered to me” and even if they list off a dozen reasons why it’s a “good idea”, if it wasn’t something I was actively seeking, I try to remember that I wasn’t actually looking for it in the first place.

(The following is specific to to home electronics)
When you do buy a big ticket item (large screen TV, laptop, etc), give yourself about a month to study the sale cycle. Use deal websites (there are tons of them), ebay, craigslist to study prices. Buy your product just before it hits rock bottom. Don’t worry if the price falls soon after. Go back to the store and ask for a price match. Of course, you should familiarise yourself with the store policies on price match (Bestbuy, Circuitcity, Amazon.com, Office Depot all honor the least price in a 30-day period). Often, you will get free-after-rebate routers, printers, software etc with these which you can sell later to further reduce your cost.

Never buy extra warranty! Many credit cards offer extended warranty on products. In my experience with a dell laptop which needed repair both during the warranty period and later, the credit card customer service was far better to deal with than Dell.

Regarding #7 – consider opening a paypal account. Use a strong password and use the extra security they offer. Tie it to your checking or ING account. Then, use their one-time use credit card numbers when you make purchases online or over the phone. This is particularly nice if you don’t know much about the online merchant. Or if you want information from a site that offers a yearly or monthly subscription, but the monthly subscription auto-renews – you don’t have to remember to cancel, since the credit card number will be invalid when they try to charge you for month two.

Paypal will also provide you with credit card numbers that are good at only one merchant. Works great to make ordering at Amazon more convenient, but limiting your exposure in case they are ever hacked and lose your credit card info.

Not all BAC (Buyer Agency Commissions)are 3%. Cross off the three percent figure and go by what the houses BAC is actually listed at otherwise you’ll be the one paying your realtor that extra amount to get to 3% if the BAC is lower.

Do average people really buy homes without contracting a buyer’s agent? That seems pretty stupid to me, since it usually only costs you if you complete the transaction, and even then its usually not that much.

“And yes, even if you have a buyer’s agreement with a buyer’s agent or broker, the fact that the commission is usually based on the selling price may subconsciously or consciously sway the buyer’s agent.”

While that is true, I think the most successful buyer’s agents are successful because they know that getting a buyer into a 175K house rather than a 200K is still better than not getting them into any house at all because they were too shady/pushy. If your BA’s margins are so thin he’s putting the pressure on you to buy bigger, you might want to try to find one who is not so desperate to make a couple hundred extra dollars.

Adam wrote: I find it ironic that an advertisement stating “I’m rich, you’re not. I cracked the code to making money. See how I make $3 Million per year and how you can too…” appeared.

I know. It makes me want to cry. I’ve blocked that ad, but it’ll take a few hours for that to take effect. The scammy ads have been thick around here lately. I’m trying to block them all, but it’s hard!

#2. I always use my past experience to decide whether to purchase an extended warranty. In my experience, computers often have problems 1-3 years down the road AND I’m still using them for that long. That’s why I always buy extended warranties for computers, but little else.

There’s a computer expert on the radio here who says the only time he buys the extended warranty is laptops, because if the pixels on the screen start to go, the replacement cost is almost the cost of the computer. And pixels die a lot.

I actually had a dentist refuse to treat my daughter because I refused to give them her SSN. They insisted they needed it as a unique identifier, and I repeatedly pointed out to them why this was not true. I found another dentist, but I’m finding that many businesses these days are routinely asking for a SSN. I absolutely refuse to give it to anyone except the IRS and my bank (or other lending institution), and an employer. Nobody else has a legitimate need for it.

Real estate agents represent the seller, not the buyer

Strict laws in many states prohibit agents from doing anything that could be seen as biased against the buyer. They absolutely cannot withhold certain types of information, nor provide any kind of false information.

I’ve bought four homes so far without a buyer’s agent, and I think I’ve done very well on all four.

However, we have found that a particular national chain sends solicitations for extended warranties at regular intervals years after you’ve purchased an appliance from them.

When we have an appliance that is still in working order (but nearing that point where it will need a repair/replacement) we take out the extended warranty for a year.

We’ve had several over-5-yr-old appliances completely serviced and repaired for the cost of the $50; and in another case, have received a $250 allowance towards the purchase of a new appliance because the replacement parts were no longer available. We bought a new one and got it for free except for the sales tax.

Although generally I agree that you should decline extended warranties, for some products I would suggest researching the historical repair/failure rates to help decide if the extended warranty would be ummm, warranted :)

For example, many Mac users recommend getting AppleCare coverage on the Mac laptops, which usually are pricey to get fixed if anything breaks. The AppleCare fee would pay for itself even after one incident. But on a desktop system or may an iPod, the extended warranty might not be so cost-effective.

Not to be an Apple plug, but one other good thing about AppleCare vs. many extended warranties is that you can still add it AFTER you buy the product. You just have to buy it before the standard 90-day warranty expires, but then you get 3-years coverage. Plus the coverage is transferrable with the item, if you sell it.

I don’t know how AppleCare compares to credit-card-based extended warranties though? Do they cover all the same things, or any gaps anywhere?

The more it costs, the more research you need to do. And I’m not surprised that home repairs/contracting has large numbers of complaints. Watch Holmes on Homes just once and you’ll be scared off contractors forever.

#2 on extended warranties — I’m doing something similar with pet insurance: I looked into it when I first got my dog, but it seemed expensive and there were lots of exemptions. So I opened a separate ING account and do an automatic deposit of that amount every month. Now the dog has quite a nice nest egg, and if he needs anything expensive at the vet (and I hope he never does) I’ll have the money on hand to take care of him.

re: Real Estate Agents
Not all states are the same and I’m not a lawyer so this isn’t legal advice, but I do come from a large family of real estate pros (investors, agents, mortgage brokers etc) and I know a little bit about the buyer v seller agent distinction in Oregon

In Oregon a Real Estate Agent cannot withold important information from the buyer that the agent has or should have knowledge of (if the roof is about to go, if there’s an in ground oil tank, if its in a flood plain, etc), however a seller’s agent has a fiduciary responsibility to the seller not the buyer (with ltd exception)

So the seller’s agent has a responsibility to make sure the seller gets the highest price possible (without being deceptive or illegal) if you are buying it is in your best interest to not be doing business with someone who has no legal responsibility to do anything more than be truthful with you.

Of course if you’re a shrewed negotiator you don’t need a buyer’s agent, but don’t think that the seller’s agent is on your side. They only have to not lie to you.

I think the best thing my husband and I have done money wise is to avoid all these pyramid schemes that keep bombarding us. We’re so sick of it and there always seems to be some new non-FDA regulated supplement out there that will cure everything but costs $100 per bottle. Ugh! We’ve vowed to never join a pyramid scheme or anything that even remotely resembles one.

Bev makes a really good point. We faced major bills when my husband was in a car accident a few years ago with an 80/20 policy. I went over the hospital bill for his 3-week stay with a fine-tooth comb and found many duplicate charges and questionable ones as well, which saved a lot in itself. However, other claims for visits and care were rejected as not covered, etc. I contacted an insurance company rep, told him our story and asked for his help. Usually the claim had been submitted incorrectly or without all the required info. He told me how the claims should be resubmitted to be accepted and paid. This happened numerous times. I was able to call and work with him any time I had a question. When all was said and done, I sent him homemade cookies and also sent a letter to his supervisor saying how professional and helpful he’d been in working with us. While I know it would be great if the insurance system were error proof and protected the patient without this interaction, it’s like anything else regarding accounts and money–you have to pay attention and ensure you get your due.

Rather than saying NEVER on extended warranties, consider all the factors BEFORE you go to purchase an item so you’ll be ready with an answer when they ask if you want one and actually listen and read how the warranty works. Although we rarely purchase them, I do think there are times where they make sense. We bought new cloth furniture a little over a year ago. The five-year extended warranty covered any cuts, pet damage, etc. and would replace any furniture the company could not fix. Primarily because we had a dog who would sneak on the sofa, we decided to get it. However, our dog did not come into the picture after all. The quality of the furniture did, or I should say lack thereof. Bottom line, we continued to have problems after the one-year manufacturer’s warranty had run out. The extended warranty company kicked in when they could not fix it to our satisfaction. (Yes, that is correct–if we weren’t happy that was enough justification.) So we got a completely new sofa with no arguments. The $300 to cover four pieces of furniture for five years was a bargain in this case and most of the warranty time still remains.

Regarding the XBox example, I wanted to add that my son has never gotten an extended warranty, but he “burned up” a new original one and a new XBox 360 within 6 months of purchase and MS replaced them each time. He just called into their tech support. They sent a prepaid shipping box and he had a new one within 10 days each time. This comment is not just aimed at XBoxes, but any item that goes bad. Don’t assume it won’t be covered. Call. We have a squirrel proof bird feeder that was fairly expensive, but works wonderfully. Yet, the squirrels never stop messing with it and it has gotten broken three times. Each time we call the maker and they send the replacement part free of charge. Likewise, Eureka tents are incredible with their repairs and customer service. The company sends you replacement zipper pulls if the zipper breaks. I did this once on my own, but another time I sent the tent to them to replace the zipper. They replaced the zipper for a small fee and while they had it, they repaired anything else they saw free of charge. I’ll add that this particular Eureka tent is 10 years old, so it’s not like they felt it was wearing too early. (This also is an example of why you should spend more and buy quality products to begin with.)

In our state until about two years ago, our driver’s license number was our SS number. One average Joe refused to give his SS number and took it to the legislature and the laws changed. But yesterday I had to give my husband’s SS no. in reference to a vision care plan … It’s a Catch 22. A unique identifier is needed to make sure we are who we say we are, yet it opens us up more to identity theft.

Thanks for posting again on the handbook, J.D. I just ordered my copy. :-)

I bought the extended warranty from the manufacturer, General Motors Corporation (GMC), of my Chevrolet (Chevy) Silverado pick-up.

The horrors experienced during the 3 year/36,000 mile factory warranty period is another story.

With water pouring through the dash inside the cab, shorting out the heater blower motor and creating a mini-lake upon the passenger-side cabin floor, I took the truck to the dealer.

I was not surprised to hear the refrain I had grown so familiar with, the standard explanation for the various dealers I had visited in the past to not diagnose and repair defects;

“We can’t replicate the problem.”

I still consider it bizarre that three different dealer’s service writers used the same word, “replicate,”

Not “duplicate” not “find” nor “discover.”

I can offer no proof but I received the impression I was hearing a memorized statement.

What a handy way to save money. Spend a few minutes out of sight of the customer and explain it all away with a meaningless statement.

No denial that the problem does not exist. Nope. How could they…. there’s the water on the floor and it’s still dripping from under the dash!!!!!!!

Basically, Chevy told me it’s my problem, too bad. A call to corporate GMC led to a female with NO knowledge about vehicles telling me to…… “Take the truck to the dealer.”

Well, I had done that, repeatedly, up to five days at a time the truck sat at various dealers for several defects, some safety-related only for me to hear; “Can’t replicate the problem.”

One problem was with the ABS system. I had recorded the mileage. Not even ONE mile added to the mileage while the dealer had it yet, the problem could not be……”replicated,”

I sure heard “replicated” a lot!!!!

Maybe you would not suffer what I did. Subjective evidence from various message board posts related to GMC/Chevy vehicles hints that consumers in the western middle/upper midwest heard the mantra I heard while in parts of the country where the competition with Toyota, Honda, etc. is more intense had their warranty work performed as it should be. No proof of this but I noticed apparent discrepencies.

Thus, just because you pay for an extended warranty doesn’t mean you will get satisfaction.

The courts are often NOT a cost-effective method of obtaining satisfaction.

And, in some states, the judiciary is so pro-business that using the legal system for your benefit is a lesson in futility.

Not only will I never trust ANY firm offering an extended warranty I will shun forever any Chevy/GMC product.

What’s kinda’ sad is I bought the truck to assist the “home team,” what with the truck having been built in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Silly me. I should have stuck with Toyota as was my original intent. At least those folks never pulled that lame excuse; “Can’t replicate.”

I agree that AppleCare is actually a great deal for what you get, should you ever need it. There’s a reason it costs so much.

To the GMC truck guy and anybody else, don’t feel bad about not buying American. I worked for GM not long ago and their cars suck for a reason. Incompetent management – not foreign competition – is what’s ruining the American auto industry. Toyota employs almost as many Americans at this point.

Regarding extended warranties on cars, they’re never worth it no matter what make you buy. Car dealers pay their mechanics miserable wages, so the competent ones all work in private shops. It’s not hard to find horror stories of dealer “repairs” that went awry and I’ve got a few of my own. Besides these, little things like not balancing the front and rear brakes properly, overfilling the radiator, etc. will lead to substantial repair bills later.

Go out of your way to try and find a good mechanic. It might not feel that way, but you’ll save money in the long run. With cars, you should always assume that you’re going to pay all maintenance expenses out of pocket no matter what the dealers are selling that week. Always put reliability first when buying.

Obbop–I am wondering where your state stands on lemon laws. I know they are all different and you mention the futility of the legal system. Your tale brought back memories … I had an Isuzu Trooper that leaked profusely on the passengers side, very much like what you mention. The dealer couldn’t replicate my problem either. After several experiences where water poured onto the floor and no fixes from them, I cited the lemon law. Voila … I had a new windshield (and new sealant, etc.–where most likely the problem was) and no more problems. Reparing that windshield was a whole lot easier and less expensive for them than giving me a brand new Trooper, which is what our lemon laws said would be the next step.

My hubby had an extended warranty on his Ford truck before we were married and the motor blew up at 18,000 miles. They replaced it no questions asked.

Your point is a good one and I guess this is another case where friends recommendations on the dealer/company before we buy would be the most valuable. It’s not enough to know the national company’s warranties/policies, we need to know if the local guy really follows through on them without headaches and hassles.

Nebraska is an extremely consumer-unfriendly state. One reason why every spring a horde of out-of-state “contractors” descend upon the state to bilk consumers.

Nebraska’s “lemon law” is so restrictive that very few people can utilize it.

I explored every recourse and due to a lack of wealth for hiring a very costly attorney and the the notoriously business-friendly anti-consumer small claims court system… along with a cost-benefit analysis of the expense of gaining satisfaction versus the monetary and time costs of forcing repairs to be done, the conclusion was I was stuck.

Even if I could have forced the dealers to repair the defects…. what would have been the “mental state” of those on the dealer’s side once they had their hands on my vehicle?

Isn’t it handy the consumer is not allowed to observe repair work in most dealerships? No waiting area with windows looking out upo n the shop floor!!!!!!

All-in-all, the dealer and GMC had all the advantages while the only one I held was to never buy from them again and try to warn as many people as possible what happened to me.

Along with a defective vehicle I lost a considerable amount of money from many days of lost work. As a substitute school teacher if I could not report to work by 7:30 am there was no income for that day.

No public transportation where I lived and no loaner cars and the cost of renting for the days while the truck sat at the dealer was cost prohibitve.

Massachusetts has excellent consumer protection for car buyers and a good lemon law, but real estate laws are extremely unfriendly to consumers. Other than lead paint and septic problems, the seller is not required to reveal anything at all about the house. Even the lead paint law has an out in that the seller can simply check “don’t know.” Don’t test, don’t tell. The real estate lobby in this state must be very, very powerful.

“Do average people really buy homes without contracting a buyer’s agent? That seems pretty stupid to me, since it usually only costs you if you complete the transaction, and even then its usually not that much.”

Why do you need a buyer agent? You can find out what the properties actually sold for recently – this is free information. You can also walk into any real estate, say you are interested in recent sales in the area, but don’t plan to buy/sell this moment, and they’ll tell you. I did it twice – the first time I didn’t trust the estimate of an agent I thought of hiring (long story), the second time I was planning to sell by owner. I just said – I’d like to see recent sales in this area, and they showed it to me. They will also discuss the market conditions with you. Don’t tell them if you are thinking or buying or selling, or, if you want, you can tell the opposite of what you plan. You can just chat with agents – ask them about market conditions, how much time the properties stay on the market, how close the selling price is to asking price etc. Say you aren’t yet sure what you want, but just want to have an idea.

Don’t ignore “by owner” ads for comparison – on my last two properties I got a much better deal by buying a property sold by owner. Also, real estate agents routinely call “by owner” ads. Then they take you there and your bargaining position will be much weaker than that of someone who just calls.

Buyer agent isn’t a lawyer, so you would likely still hire a lawyer – buyer agent or not. Your agent doesn’t do title search for you – your lawyer does. You’ll still need to hire an engineer to inspect the property. If you want, you can also hire the company to test for radon – again, buyer agent would still have to hire someone.

Talk to people who bought/sold properties. They can give you some hints as to what to look for.

I don’t understand it, please explain to me what exactly would a buyer agent do that a lawyer/engineer wouldn’t? Sure, if you don’t want to do your homework…

In truth, real-estate agents represent the _deal_, not the seller. They don’t get paid until a deal closes. Their compensation model is such that they want to close deals quickly, so they can minimize their time spent on a deal and can move on to the next deal.

This is true for both “buyer agents” (ie, those recruited by the buyer but paid out of the proceeds of the sale) as well as listing agents.

Now this isn’t to say that many real-estate agents don’t work hard for the people they represent – after all, referrals and such are crucial – but they are salespeople and as such are ultimately driven by their compensation model.

(Note that this means that it isn’t always the case that a listing agent will fight for the highest price for their seller – a quick, easy deal at a low price is preferable to a slow sale with lots of failed haggling, even if that may be preferred by the seller.)

Great list. I do think however that to the point: “Seek recommendations from people you trust” needs added that you should get them from people that knows what they are talking about. I see far to many people giving advice about things they know nothing about. And taking advice from such a person can easily cost you fortunes.

Never give out your SSN if you can get around it – or your child’s. For example public schools require them, but then give your child a school id number. The SSN is useless to them as your child is not using it for it’s true purpose. Also explain to places like doctors offices and such that you do not provide it until you are actually in the office (I had a dr yesterday REFUSE me an appointment without my SSN to verify my insurance). I said, fine, there are other doctors out there.

As for online, think of the internet, especially social networking sites as a great big billboard if you don’t want it on a billboard on the side of the road, you probably shouldn’t have it on your website.

As a follow-up to Mikael’s excellent point, ask in your extended network. You may not be friends with a doctor, but one of your friends might have an M.D. cousin; you may not know any lawyers but a friend knows one who owes him a favor. You save nothing by asking non-experts but you may be able to get some free or inexpensive help by putting the word out.

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My name is J.D. Roth. I started Get Rich Slowly in 2006 to document my personal journey as I dug out of debt. Then I shared while I learned to save and invest. Twelve years later, I've managed to reach early retirement! I'm here to help you master your money — and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you get rich slowly. Read more.

General Disclaimer: Get Rich Slowly is an independent website managed by J.D. Roth, who is not a trained financial expert. His knowledge comes from the school of hard knocks. He does his best to provide accurate, useful info, but makes no guarantee that all readers will achieve the same level of success. If you have questions, consult a trained professional.

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